Beat cream cheese, sugar, zest, lime juice and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.Add the eggs and mix just until blended. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust.Bake for 40 minutes or until the centre is almost set. Remove from the oven and let cool. refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.Top with fresh whipped cream just before serving. Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator.

I have found a new recipe for a key lime cheese cake. I have made several versions of Key lime pie before, as it is one of M's absolute favorite deserts. This one is a very simple recipe with out much fuss, and without condensed milk. M would quite happily sit with a can of the stuff but I have never been a fan. Probably something to do with having it in my tea while camping with my dad as a kid. I wouldn't recommend it. One of the other recipes I have used quite often in the past is one that is very heavy on effort, time, and gelatin, its totally gorgeous but very hard work to make. SO I'm going to attempt this cheesecake recipe, and see how things turn out in a bit, once the rain abates and I can scurry up to the co-op and get some cream cheese and biscuits to make the biscuit base. How I do miss grahamcrackers, but plain digestives or nice biscuits will suffice.

more to come in a bit but need to flick the coffee maker on as frizbe is here.

its still in the oven as I type this so i have no idea how it will turn out. I'll let you know as this is the first time I have ever made a baked cheesecake. The recipe I found and adapted to my own liking making it my own as it were.

THe Cheesecake turned out great very nice and dense and refreshing, and all in all it was really very quick to make, so lets hope the offer is still on for half price cream cheese. Next time I will try a No Bake Recipe perhaps something with fresh raspberries or peaches.

Sunday, 24 June 2007

I have been in the icing sugar again as you can clearly see from the above image of a very yummy vanilla cupcake with a strawberry on top. I have been baking because I singned up for a cupcake competition on www.mumsnet.com the teme is summer and songs the picture I entered into the contest is the one below of a ice-cream shaped cupcake. Basically a cupcake shoved into a cone with lots of butter cream icing.

Update on the mumsnet contest.

tigi on Mon 25-Jun-07 19:31:54Overall Winner – Daemara This prize is awarded for the perfection of the solitary cake seen at the end of Daemars’s photographic album. It is seen with a swirl of icing with a succulent strawberry dropped on top. The symmetry of the image is a marvel to behold. The judge was bowled over with delight and ecstasy to see the absolute perfection of Daemara’s cake. Completely perfect and 100% round, sat in the case proudly, with no excess dollops or slops of icing sugar or sweeties to be seen. A marvellous specimen that makes me very proud indeed to be a member of the WI. Daemara will receive automatic entry to the ‘All England Cupcake Championships’ to be held in the Blackpool Ballroom on 1 April 2008. All spectators welcome (subject to £20 entry fee and smart dress code to be adhered to – no flipflops accepted into the the pimms and champagne reception tent). To summarise, the cake is a perfect shape in perfect proportion, with a simple effective swirl of creamy icing, with a perfect strawberry. A perfect cake, and it tasted delicious too.

Friday, 22 June 2007

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?no not really, but I suppose you could say I was named after a monthWHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?A few tears the other moning when I bunt myself on the pan while making pancakesDO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?I'm left handed so thats pretty much a no, a whenever I write I tend to smudge it and make a big mess, my typing skills aren't much better.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?either pepperoni or roast beefDO YOU HAVE KIDS?Yes, just the one two if you count my husbandIF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?I don't think I quite hate myself enough to actually not be friends with myself.DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?I wouldn't say alot but its always lurking around somewhereDO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?Yes, thank you very much, and I get some lovely throat infections every year.WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?f*** no, thats just stupid, I really don't see the need to jump head first at the ground. We all have to die sometime but I prefer not to go splat willingly.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?Cheerios, though Captain Crunch was my favorite as a kidDO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?Don't actually have any shoes with laces at the moment my trainers (sneakers) died an agonising death and all the rest of my shoes are girly without lacesDO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?I can be very storng at times, usually when I need to be strong for other peopleWHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?Coffee or Black CherryWHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?As I'm a bit crap on the old eye contact thing my gaze tends to be a bit shifty and notice everything, hair, shoes, eyebrows,RED OR PINK?PurpleWHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?Body wise, my stomach and stretch marks, internally my lack of self-confidenceWHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?Meg my best friend from High School, we chat but I haven't seen her in person for five long years. Get your ass to England Meg!WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?Black trousers and bare toesWHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?toast with black cherry jam and a latte made by my loving husbandWHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?The Joker and the Thief by WolfmotherIF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?MauveFAVORITE SMELLS?roses in the garden, lilac blossoms, tomato plants, lime, cake batter, the smell of antiquesWHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?M my husbandFAVORITE SPORTS?yeah I never really got the whole watching sports thing, boring.HAIR COLOR?dark brownEYE COLOR?dark brown.DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?no coke bottles.FAVORITE FOOD?Vietnamese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Greek,SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?Probably scary movies, none of that Grudge crap, I hate that, but happy ending fluff movies get on my nerves I prefer sci-fiLAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?The Black Dhalia, pretty good but a bit convaloutedWHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?a purple tank top and a black sweaterSUMMER OR WINTER?Autumn, Otober is my favorite month, and Halloween my favorite holiday, crisp autumnHUGS OR KISSES?bothFAVORITE DESSERT?Whipped cream and raspberries, or coffee ice-cream orreally good very dark dark chocolateMOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?MegLEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?GinWHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?Several actually For a few Deamons More by Kim HarrisonWHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?don't have one, if I did the kitten would just sit on itWHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?Criminal Minds and House on sky+FAVORITE SOUND?M's laugh, he sounds just like mutly from the great race cartoon thingy.ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?I guess the Stones as the beatles tend to get on my nearvesWHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?Rome, ItalyDO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?erm besides the vast amounts of useless information stored in my brainWHERE WERE YOU BORN?New York StateWHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?anyones, I think there are onyl about 3 people who actually visit here.

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

Drabble From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaA drabble is an extremely short work of fiction exactly one hundred words in length, although the term is often misused to indicate a short story of less than 1000 words. The purpose of the drabble is brevity and to test the author's ability to express interesting and meaningful ideas in an extremely confined space. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drabble

The moon and stars glimmer in the pool of night blackened water. Leaves dance in a caress of foul wind carrying the scent of fire, cloying smoke, burnt flesh, the bitter tang of metal, the taint and filth of humanity. The smell of death. Twigs snap and branches break, echoing in the forest, and the pool is invaded by men, bloodstained warriors all. They drink of the water, muddying it with the blood and gore of battle. Filling the night with raucous laughter, course words and the clinking of coins. Green eyes blaze fire in the dark. The Huntress awakens.

Friday, 15 June 2007

I seem to have underestimated my ability to not kill off the seeds I planted, because they have all turned into rather large plants in the greenhouse. I have tried somewhat successfully to unload some of the tomatoes, and courgette plants on pretty much everyone I could convinced that they needed them, I even gave a few to my neighbours, see I'm very nice, but still they keep growing, and I'm quickly running out of space for them. I have taken most of the courgette (zucchini) and pumpkins out to be planted in the flower boarder, between the rose bushes, or should i say rose sticks after they got trampled by the work men putting up the new fence. I'm not happy about that they destroyed my best rose, not that I really did anything to the roses but they were pretty and smelled nice and now the bush is no more. sigh

Anyway things are all growing beyond my skills to tame them and I really haven't got the heart to let perfectly good plants die. On the other hand I'm quite confused as to how everything is doing so well in the garden but my houseplants never seem to last very long before giving up the ghost as it were. I'll have to see if I can sucker anyone else into taking one of the left over tomato plants as they are desperate for bigger pots and compost which i havent got, and even more desperate for space, which there is none.

Today I have been looking through some pictures stored on my phone and the picture here is one of thoses. The building is This big Fruit and Antique mall in Thorpe, Washington on the I90, you can hardly miss it, looking at the pictue makes me smile though as H thinks its great becuse they have apples, candy, and lots of clocks that his pappy might like. Its one of the places we stop on the drive from Seattle to Coure D Alene , Id where my parents live. The drive is 5 hours more or less depending on potty, coffee and food stops.

I have been talking to my friend Meg*, on messenger a few times and I think thats made me feel rather homesick for the states, and California specifically, though I do like Seattle, and Idaho is georgeous and very friendly, but with talking to my best friend since high school and looking up some classmates on http://www.classmates.com/ I have been missing the bread.

Sourdough bread that is, as if there is any other, and the bagels from the bagel store, and most of all I miss hanging around with Meg, We used to have this movie ritual, I'm not sure M ever really got it when we tried to explain, but we would always go see films together, mostly sci-fi at that, and into the movie we would sneek not bottles of pop or candy, but giant sized fruit smoothies, some sort of raspberry concoction for me, and something tropical for Meg. On one occasion to a matinee for some forgettable movie we snuck in some Chinese. Orange Chicken and noodles to be exact from the panda express at Santa Rosa Plaza Mall. The movie was B but we had fun eating Chinese in the theater and talking over the bad dialogue. We were also the only ones in the theater so we didn't get caught. Oh the hours spent sitting in the upper floor of the down town barns and nobles coveting books and watching the people down below.

Hopefully next year we will drag H along to Cali, and show him all my old haunts. Bodega Bay, the Larkspur ferry, Pier 39, Sonoma and its wineries and the little coffee garden Cafe, Mary's Pizza Shack, Down town Petaluma all the old favorites that I have dragged M around in the past. I think because I was so sick durring my pregnacy with H that I never really got to say goodbye to Northern California because I missed out on the trip we were supposed to take to help my parents move to Idaho, I never got to have that one last look around, that last bit of salty air from bodega bay, and the best fish and chips in the world. Oh well next year then, H will be four and old enough to remember it all.

P.S. Meg if you are reading this get off your ass and get that passport and come visit me! ;o)

Saturday, 9 June 2007

I have been toying with nostalgia today, I have visited classmates.com and registered with my high school graduation class. Looking up a few names from a deliberately forgotten time. Lets face facts high school is hell, pure and simple, with a few bright spots more or less, but we were all condemned to walk the halls.

I wasn't a popular kid, mind you despite my four-eyed status I like to think that I wasn't a complete loser, my grades were good enough but I wasn't some complete ass kisser. I wasn't the member of a clique, and there were cliques, Montgomery High being just as cliched as any other high school. I had a few close friends but mostly I was a ghost in the hall just trying to be noticed and not fit in. I was never one with the in crowd, I could never be I didn't drive a bmw to school I didn't have all the trendy clothes, we weren't poor well most of the time we weren't I just couldn't give a damn about clothes or fitting in.

I was more of the apathetic sort of student, I would probably been a goth if it didn't require so much effort. As it was I did seem to wear quite a lot of black, but eyeliner wasn't me. I'm not even sure if any of my past classmates would recall me, just another brown haired, brown eyed, average ghost. I can't think what would be worse not beingremembered at all or being remembered for all the wrong reasons. I tried to avoid the pitfalls of student life, and tried to get on with things, sure I probably missed out on a lot of things but there isn't really anything that I regret really, I have always been a bit shy and reserved but I still managed to make friends with some rather cleaver people. As for the rest of the school well there are a lot of people that I don't miss and hope that grew beyond what they once were, and if not well karma's a bitch and I hope they get bitten on the ass.

I e-mailed a few people from the past and will wait and see if anyone remembers me, or if I trully was just a ghost in the hall.

Thursday, 7 June 2007

this week M and I went to see Pirates of the Muddied Plot III. You know what I mean, Johnny Depp was gloriously I on top form, Rush was great but I found myself being let down buy the amount of double crossing, superfluous clutter and plot content that appears to have been thrown in just for good measure. And quite disappointed by the Disney ending, Leaving Keira of the pouty lips to wait ten years for Will's return, ten years of what twiddling her thumbs and going back to her home, its gone, her father, dead, to being a lady? not gonna happen while limp will goes off ferrying souls about to the afterlife, with his heart cut out, and is now immortal. What I love fantasy and sci-fi but this is just a bit slapdash. And although I didn't stay to see the bit after the credits my friend assures me it is an over the top and incredibly cheesy scene that she would rather of not had to sit through. In this last scene there is Keira standing on the clifftop with a 9 year old boy watching the boat sail away. Honestly

Perhaps I'm turning into a cynic.. it was still a good movie held together by captain jack but I think it needed a hell of a lot more editing and reworking of the storyline a bit especially the ending. Speaking of less than a thrilling time at the movies a few weeks ago we went to see Spiderman III, yet another case of third outing in atrilogy gone a bit haywire. It got lots of complaints about too many characters, which is not my beef about it. The thing I hated was strutting and dancing scenes, I was ready to walk out, I hate hate hate cringe inducing scenes like that and had to hide my face in my hands, which M took much glee at as he loves to watch me squirm when I am faced with watching people making total fools of themselves.

In short when they come out on dvd I don't think i'll be making a purchase. by all means go and see the films for yourself and make your own decision but don't say you haven't been warned.

I can feel them floating about in my mind whispering to me in the quite hours of the night when everyone else is asleep. Words and images thoughts desires dreams and nightmares, burning brightly behind my closed lids. Words that vanish and hideaway in the dark recesses of my mind when I sit down and try to write. Its not writers block, more shy thoughts hiding away from the possibility of being written.

I sit here with time free to devote to writing and everything that whispered in the back of my thoughts, all those voices that tease and laugh have fallen silent, their characters cannot be written, thoughts remain untamed unshared, alone in the darkness, imprisoned in my mind fearing the freedom of being written.

Enough of the waxing unlyrical, perhaps I've had too much coffee this morning. Or maybe just not enough. When ever I sit down with a little time to put fingers to keys, pen to paper it all just goes grey. The house is mostly clean, the boy is asleep, the kitten is purring in my lap and all the things I want to write are teasingly out of reach. A few slender strings to grasp but nothing to pull out into the open. I think I will go do some drawing instead and forget all about my good intentions to write something well I am in fact writing this but blogging wasn't what I meant. Though I have actually written more on this blog then I ever got on many failed attempts to write a diary or journal, Samuel Pepys I am not. http://www.pepysdiary.com/

Wednesday, 6 June 2007

I was going to do some baking today, but as we haven't done the shopping I'm a bit limited on ingredients, I have no eggs, no butter, no milk, no vanilla. So there will be no cake unless I fetch some ingredients from town after going to the gym later as I intend to do having not been for over a week and a half. Due to being shattered from camping, H being miserable with a cold then passing it on to me so I have been miserable with a cold and unable to do anything but whimper a bit on the sofa.

But I'm all better now, cue dramatic coughing fit, no really I am just a bit of a sore throat but I always get that, bad tonsils you know. After gym then its time to drag H to his swim lesson so he can throw fits of god awfulness, followed by terrible cheekiness in equil measure, then floods of hysterics at being asked to jump into water that he can touch his toes to the bottom of the pool. Meanwhile I stand there clutching my offering of coins or chocolate as his reward for just getting on with it and doing as his instructors bid him to. But at least he hasn't puked in the pool for a while, that was such a proud moment.

So now that I have been on about sick, back to the cake rack as it were. If I can be bothered I might get a few things from the co-op to feed my baking obsession, I need milk anyway to feed my coffee cravings so its only fair really. I have a recipe for a lemon drizzle cake but was considering making it into a lime one as I prefer lime with possibly a creamcheese icing. mmm

or I might just buy some vicounts and save cake baking for tommrow when H can help (hinder) and then I have somone to clean out the batter bowl besides me. I can share gracefully.

Tuesday, 5 June 2007

Alys has been living with us for a week now and has settled into the family home pretty well in my opinion. M is absoloulty enchanted with her, having never been witness to the antics of kittens, which are a hell of a lot more intresting that a hamster going round and round a wheel, and they are quite cute I suppose in there own up all night while you try to sleep sort of way. I don't really get along too well with rodents, a friends of mine used to love rats, I never got that retched creatures enough of them in the world that you just don't need them for a pet. Guinea pigs, well they say that they are a delicacy in the andies, I can't say I would ever try it but I'm pretty sure that about all they are good for as the only thing I have ever know is to be bitten by one that was suposedly very friendly.

I did have a rabbit once, the cat ate it. Well I got blamed for leaving the cage open, which I did not, and one of that cats got it and well ate it. Had a hamster once too, it was awake all night bit people for no reason even though was handled properly, it had babies then ate them for no reason (no one touched them or messed with anything she just had them one night and the next night she ate all but one. Cheerful story teller aren't I? Don't let me get started on my animal tales of woe, or we will be here all week. Anyway cats are good, dogs are good, rodents are for rodent traps. Yeah yeah I know I'm evil and not giving rodentia a fair trial. and what about the capybera and there are always ferrets, and what about the. I say my cat will eat your rats, well Starbuck would at least give it the cold shoulder and Alys is probably smaller than a rat still but she might squeek at it a bit, and she terrorizes toy mice at least.

Friday, 1 June 2007

I was meant to make some banana bread yesterday with some rather old bananas that were lurking in the back of the fruit bowl, but on further inspection they were black beyond use. Well at least to me, I actually prefer my bananas bordering on green. I didn't have any nuts either so I really wasn't doing very well on the banana bread front. I did however have four apples that needed using, and as I really don't like making pastry all that much decided to make an apple cake of the upside- down variety. I know it has a lovely french name but beyond bonjour and fromage my french is severely lacking, I blame it on the California school system, I took Spanish instead. So anyway the following is the recipe I came up with after searching the net and finding a few recipes that didn't seem quite right so I adapted what I found and remade it into this recipe which turned out rather yummy in the end. Word of warning don't leave it too long before turning it over otherwise it will stick to the cake tin!

Preheat the oven at 300 FIn a large bowl cream the butter and the sugar together. Add the eggs one at a time. Add half of the self-raising flour, then half of the milk and the vanilla. Add the remainder of the flour followed by the remaining milk and beat till well blended.

Melt the butter in 13x9x2" baking pan in the oven while pre-heating, remove and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Pare, quarter, and slice the apples thin. Spread in an over-lapping layer on the bottom of the baking dish . Pour the cake mixture over the apples. The batter will be thick and may need to be smoothed on top with a knife.

Bake at 300° to 325° F. for 45 minutes. Until the cake is golden brown on top and springy to the touch. Leave on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Loosen the sides of the cake with a knife , Cover the cake with a large serving dish or baking tray and turn it out carefully, upside down.Best served warm with custard, or vanilla ice cream.

An anthropology/Art student dropout from California turned illustrator, turned blogging crafter and geek, with a few stops in between. I live in the middle of England, with my husband (a photographer), and an incredibly industrious and inventive five year old son. I’m busy juggling jewellery making, vintage book painting, occasional knitting (badly), baking, and I mustn’t forget all the blogging. I use everything that I see and dream as inspiration. When I‘m not crafting or in the kitchen I can usually be found with my nose in a book.